Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Tripper
Jeez, you'd think after the whole slavery, segregation, hundreds of years of mistreatment thing that it wouldnt be so hard for whites to avoid saying one word that has no other use except as racial slander. I mean, its not as if they got their 40 acres or their mule. A little lee-way here shouldn't be that big of a deal.
|
Whites who seriously want to be able to use it in public without negative reaction is a very small portion.
In some ways, I think the media completely blowing this out of proportion is going to hurt black rights and people like Al Sharpton far more than they know. Intelligent people can see that:
1) Imus has made these remarks for 30 years about all kinds of people. He's a shock jock, he's not a politician or a national pundit.
2) The comment was a shitty attempt at humor. The entire conversation tried to emulate the language used by rappers. Why, I don't know. He's an old man.
3) The comment was stupid. It was insulting, and ill-informed. I don't think anybody as a decent human being will argue that.
Now, while I really am sick and tired of this story dominating the news (it should have been a brief story), I can see why it is going to dominate the airwaves for the next week, and possibly longer. People all over the place here in the U.S. are asking themselves questions on the status of race and racism; even the basic laws and foundations of our nation. It's been surmounting over the last 3-5 years, and this may push a lot of people over the edge.
The problem is the media is making this look lie Imus has committed a crime. A crime for saying words. It reminds me of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, in which it was against the law to say anything negative about the President. To make this story short, it eventually degenerated into men getting beaten up or killed at times over comments made in places like town bars. John Peter Zenger was thrown in prison for 8 months over comments he published. Now you may be saying, "Come on, governmental slander and libel has nothing to do with what a radio personality says." Fine, but where does it stop from here? Who is next? The issue becomes one of asking the question, "Who is safe, and likewise who is prone to being persecuted over comments?" The answer should be:
EVERYBODY should be equally at risk.
That's the problem. Al Sharpton doesn't care to be equal and fair about this, or any other issue that arises. If he is truly concerned with civil rights, then that means defending all types of people, to achieve the ultimate goal of
eliminating the recognization that there are "types" of people to begin with. I don't see him demanding an apology from that black stripper who accused the Duke Lacrosse boys of raping her. Her actions have severely tarnished the lives of those men far more than some juvenile comments made from afar.
More and more white people are beginning to feel as if today's black leaders expect us to wear a scarlet letter for our history. More whites feel as if they're being persecuted by today's black leaders. Men like Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, and many others are building a dangerous sentiment. That sentiment is one where white people are starting to have a very sour taste in their mouth when they hear the phrase "civil rights".
These Sharpton-ites are definitely distancing themselves from white people on a daily basis. They're beginning to scare white people away from even feeling like they can communicate with black people, because it's going to get to the point where you have to tip-toe around whenever you're discussing black culture, people, or ideas. I'll give you my own personal experience of this. In just the past 3-4 years, I have heard many of my white friends, some who I would never expect it from (liberals), discuss how they are sick of this entire thing. One person even said they can sense the hate from blacks as they interact with them on a daily basis. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, et.al are installing these feelings into the hearts and minds of young black people all across the nation.
This isn't a political issue. Imus shares many liberal views on politics and social issues. Howard Stern, a noted liberal, commented, "He's apologizing like its his first broadcast job. Tell them, 'Fuck you,its a joke.'"
There will eventually be a breaking point, much similar to McCarthyism, where America stands up and says, "NO MORE OF THIS." Only this time, it's not going to be an issue of falsely accusing people of being Communist, but rather falsely accusing people of racism, in an attempt to destroy the lives and careers of said individuals.
04-11-2007, 10:30 PM
Linear Mode
